Method and communication device for transmitting or receiving data by using available buffer size

ABSTRACT

A disclosure of the present specification provides a server for controlling a TCU mounted in a vehicle in a next generation mobile communication system. The server may comprise a transceiver and a processor, wherein the processor configured to perform: determining an available data rate for a combination of a plurality of transmission beams of a base station and a plurality of reception beams of the TCU; receiving, from the TCU, information on an available buffer size of the TCU and information on a downlink service requirement of one or more electronic devices in the vehicle; determining a data rate of downlink data and a first transmission beam of the base station.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to next generation mobilecommunication.

BACKGROUND

Thanks to the success of Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio AccessNetwork (E-UTRAN), that is, long term evolution (LTE)/LTE-Advanced(LTE-A) for 4G mobile communication, interest in next-generation, thatis, 5G (so-called 5G) mobile communication is increasing, and researchis being conducted one after another.

For the fifth generation (so-called 5G) mobile communication, a newradio access technology (New RAT or NR) has been studied. In particular,automotive driving is expected to become an important new driving forcefor 5G with various use cases of mobile communication for vehicles.

In the case of autonomous driving, where the server remotely controlsthe vehicle, it should take less than 5 msec, until the vehicletransmits data to the server, the vehicle receives control data fromthis server and the vehicle operates.

However, in the conventional cloud server-based network structure (eg,base station-wired network-cloud server), there is a problem that ittakes about 30-40 msec for operations that the base station transmitsthe data received from the vehicle to the cloud server, the cloud serveranalyzes the data in the cloud server, the cloud server transmits thedata to the base station, and the base station receives the data.

In order to improve the conventional network structure and achieveURLLC, ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) and 5GAAare discussing about Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC). However, therehas not been a method in which data transmission/reception between theMEC server and the TCU mounted on the vehicle can be performed quicklyand efficiently.

While receiving high-capacity streaming data (eg 8k video, 8k AR/VR,etc.), the TCU could not effectively transmit camera data and sensordata (radar sensor data, lidar sensor data) to be used for vehicleremote control at the same time. Here, the data rate of the camera datamay be 12 Gbps or more, and the data rates of the radar sensor data andthe lidar sensor data may be 10 Gbps or more, respectively.

In addition, in order for the MEC server to remotely control thevehicle, the TCU needs to transmit as much camera data and sensor dataas possible to the MEC server. However, in the prior art, there is aproblem that sufficient time resources are not allocated for uplinktransmission from the TCU to the MEC server.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, a disclosure of the present specification has been made inan effort to solve the aforementioned problem.

In order to achieve the above object, one disclosure of the presentspecification provides a server for controlling a TelematicsCommunication Unit (TCU) mounted on a vehicle in a next-generationmobile communication system. The server may include a transceiver; and aprocessor for controlling the transceiver, wherein the processor isconfigured to perform: determining available data rate for a combinationof a plurality of transmit beams of the base station and a plurality ofreceive beams of the TCU based on channel state information on a radiochannel between the TCU and the base station; receiving information onthe available buffer size of the TCU and information on downlink servicerequirements of one or more electronic devices in the vehicle from theTCU through the base station; determining a data rate of downlink dataand a first transmission beam of the base station based on informationon the available buffer size of the TCU, information on downlink servicerequirements for the one or more devices, and the available data rate;and transmitting the downlink data to the TCU through the base stationbased on the determined data rate and the first transmission beam.

The information on the available buffer size of the TCU may includeinformation on the available buffer size of the memory of the TCU andinformation on the available buffer size of at least one transceiver ofthe TCU.

The information on the available buffer size of the TCU used in theprocess of determining the data rate and the first transmission beam isthe smaller buffer size between the available buffer size of the memoryof the TCU and the available buffer size of the at least one transceiverof the TCU.

The information on the downlink service requirement may includeinformation on a data rate requirement and information on a delayrequirement.

The data rate of the downlink data may be determined as a value obtainedby multiplying N by the first data rate required in the information onthe downlink service requirement.

The N may be a maximum value among N values satisfying the inequality ofthe N*the first data rate<the available buffer size of the TCU.

The processor may further perform a process of receiving the channelstate information from the TCU through the base station.

The base station may include a long term evolution (LTE) transceiver, a5G transceiver, and a WiFi transceiver.

In order to achieve the above object, one disclosure of the presentspecification provides a TCU (Telematics Communication Unit) mounted ona vehicle, comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; and aprocessor for controlling the memory and the at least one transceiver,wherein the processor is configured to perform: determining availabledata rate for a combination of a plurality of reception beams of thebase station and each of plurality of transmission beam of the at leastone transceiver based on channel state information for a radio channelbetween the TCU and the base station; determining a first transmissionbeam of the at least one transceiver based on the information on theavailable buffer size of the TCU, information on uplink servicerequirements of one or more electronic devices in the vehicle, and theavailable data rate; and after receiving uplink data from the one ormore electronic devices, transmitting the uplink data to the serverthrough the base station based on the first transmission beam.

The processor may further perform a process of transmitting informationon the available buffer size of the TCU and information on downlinkservice requirements of the one or more electronic devices to the serverthrough the base station.

The processor may further configured to perform: receiving downlink datafrom the server through the base station; and transmitting the receiveddownlink data to the one or more electronic devices.

The information on the available buffer size of the TCU may includeinformation on the available buffer size of the memory and informationon the available buffer size of the at least one transceiver.

The information on the uplink service requirement may includeinformation on a data rate requirement and information on a delayrequirement.

The one or more electronic devices include a first electronic device anda second electronic device, and the uplink data includes first uplinkdata of the first electronic device and second uplink data of the secondelectronic device, the processor may further perform a process ofdetermining priorities of the first uplink data and the second uplinkdata based on the information on the delay requirement condition.

The first transmission beam for each of the first uplink data and thesecond uplink data may be determined in the order of the determinedpriority.

The processor may further perform a process of receiving the channelstate information from the base station.

The at least one transceiver may include a long term evolution (LTE)transceiver, a 5G transceiver, and a WiFi transceiver.

According to the disclosure of the present specification, the existingproblems are solved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an example of a 5G usage scenario.

FIG. 2 is a structural diagram of a next-generation mobile communicationnetwork.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an expected structure of anext-generation mobile communication network from the viewpoint of anode.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an architecture forsupporting simultaneous access to two data networks.

FIG. 5 is another exemplary diagram showing a structure of a radiointerface protocol between a UE and a gNB.

FIGS. 6a to 6d show an example implementation of the MEC server.

FIG. 7 shows an example in which the MEC server remotely controls thevehicle.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an MEC server andan example of a TCU according to the disclosure of the presentspecification.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example in which the TCU of FIG. 8 is connected toone or more electronic devices.

FIG. 10 shows an example of a buffer of a memory of the TCU of FIG. 8and a buffer of a transceiver of the TCU.

FIGS. 11a and 11b are signal flow diagrams illustrating examples ofoperations of a TCU, an MEC server, and a mobile communication networkaccording to the disclosure of the present specification.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of S1109 of FIG. 11 a.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of S1117 of FIG. 11 b.

FIG. 14 shows a first example of downlink communication and uplinkcommunication of a TCU, an MEC server, and a mobile communicationnetwork according to the disclosure of the present specification.

FIG. 15 shows a second example of downlink communication and uplinkcommunication of a TCU, an MEC server, and a mobile communicationnetwork according to the disclosure of the present specification.

FIG. 16 is a configuration block diagram of an MEC server and a TCUaccording to an embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram illustrating in detail the configuration of aTCU according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, it is described that the present disclosure is appliedbased on 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) 3GPP long termevolution (LTE), 3GPP LTE-A (LTE-Advanced), Wi-Fi or 3GPP NR (New RAT,that is, 5G) do. This is merely an example, and the present disclosurecan be applied to various wireless communication systems. Hereinafter,LTE includes LTE and/or LTE-A.

The technical terms used herein are used to merely describe specificembodiments and should not be construed as limiting the presentspecification. Further, the technical terms used herein should be,unless defined otherwise, interpreted as having meanings generallyunderstood by those skilled in the art but not too broadly or toonarrowly. Further, the technical terms used herein, which are determinednot to exactly represent the spirit of the specification, should bereplaced by or understood by such technical terms as being able to beexactly understood by those skilled in the art. Further, the generalterms used herein should be interpreted in the context as defined in thedictionary, but not in an excessively narrowed manner.

The expression of the singular number in the present specificationincludes the meaning of the plural number unless the meaning of thesingular number is definitely different from that of the plural numberin the context. In the following description, the term ‘include’ or‘have’ may represent the existence of a feature, a number, a step, anoperation, a component, a part or the combination thereof described inthe present specification, and may not exclude the existence or additionof another feature, another number, another step, another operation,another component, another part or the combination thereof.

The terms ‘first’ and ‘second’ are used for the purpose of explanationabout various components, and the components are not limited to theterms ‘first’ and ‘second’. The terms ‘first’ and ‘second’ are only usedto distinguish one component from another component. For example, afirst component may be named as a second component without deviatingfrom the scope of the present specification.

It will be understood that when an element or layer is referred to asbeing “connected to” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it can bedirectly connected or coupled to the other element or layer orintervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when anelement is referred to as being “directly connected to” or “directlycoupled to” another element or layer, there are no intervening elementsor layers present.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present specification will bedescribed in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.In describing the present specification, for ease of understanding, thesame reference numerals are used to denote the same componentsthroughout the drawings, and repetitive description on the samecomponents will be omitted. Detailed description on well-known artswhich are determined to make the gist of the specification unclear willbe omitted. The accompanying drawings are provided to merely make thespirit of the specification readily understood, but not should beintended to be limiting of the specification. It should be understoodthat the spirit of the specification may be expanded to itsmodifications, replacements or equivalents in addition to what is shownin the drawings.

A base station, a term used below, generally refers to a fixed stationthat communicates with a wireless device, and may be called other termssuch as an evolved-NodeB (eNodeB), an evolved-NodeB (eNB), a BTS (BaseTransceiver System), an access point (Access Point) and gNB (Nextgeneration NodeB).

And, hereinafter, the term UE (User Equipment) used may be fixed ormobile, and may include a device, a wireless device, a wirelesscommunication device, a terminal, and an MS (mobile station), UT (userterminal), SS (subscriber station), MT (mobile terminal), etc may becalled as other terms.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a 5G usage scenario.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a 5G usage scenario to which the technicalfeatures of the present disclosure can be applied. The 5G usage scenarioshown in FIG. 1 is merely exemplary, and the technical features of thepresent disclosure can be applied to other 5G usage scenarios not shownin FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 1, the three main requirements areas of 5G are (1)enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) domain, (2) massive machine typecommunication (mMTC) area domain and (3) includes ultra-reliable and lowlatency communications (URLLC) domains. Some use cases may requiremultiple domains for optimization, while other use cases may focus ononly one key performance indicator (KPI). 5G supports these various usecases in a flexible and reliable way.

eMBB focuses on overall improvements in data rates, latency, userdensity, capacity and coverage of mobile broadband connections. eMBBaims for a throughput of around 10 Gbps. eMBB goes far beyond basicmobile Internet access, covering rich interactive work, media andentertainment applications in the cloud or augmented reality. Data isone of the key drivers of 5G, and for the first time in the 5G era, wemay not see dedicated voice services. In 5G, voice is simply expected tobe processed as an application using the data connection provided by thecommunication system. The main reasons for the increased amount oftraffic are the increase in content size and the increase in the numberof applications requiring high data rates. Streaming services (audio andvideo), interactive video and mobile Internet connections will becomemore widely used as more devices connect to the Internet. Many of theseapplications require always-on connectivity to push real-timeinformation and notifications to users. Cloud storage and applicationsare growing rapidly in mobile communication platforms, which can beapplied to both work and entertainment. Cloud storage is a special usecase that drives the growth of uplink data rates. 5G is also used forremote work in the cloud, requiring much lower end-to-end latency tomaintain a good user experience when tactile interfaces are used. Inentertainment, for example, cloud gaming and video streaming are anotherkey factor increasing the demand for mobile broadband capabilities.Entertainment is essential on smartphones and tablets anywhere,including in high-mobility environments such as trains, cars andairplanes. Another use example is augmented reality for entertainmentand information retrieval. Here, augmented reality requires very lowlatency and instantaneous amount of data.

mMTC is designed to enable communication between a large number oflow-cost devices powered by batteries and is intended to supportapplications such as smart metering, logistics, field and body sensors.mMTC is targeting a battery life of 10 years or so and/or a milliondevices per square kilometer. mMTC enables seamless connectivity ofembedded sensors in all fields and is one of the most anticipated 5G usecases. Potentially, by 2020, there will be 20.4 billion IoT devices.Industrial IoT is one of the areas where 5G will play a major role inenabling smart cities, asset tracking, smart utilities, agriculture andsecurity infrastructure.

URLLC is ideal for vehicular communications, industrial control, factoryautomation, telesurgery, smart grid, and public safety applications byallowing devices and machines to communicate very reliably, with verylow latency and with high availability. URLLC aims for a delay on theorder of 1 ms. URLLC includes new services that will transform theindustry through ultra-reliable/low-latency links such as remote controlof critical infrastructure and autonomous vehicles. This level ofreliability and latency is essential for smart grid control, industrialautomation, robotics, and drone control and coordination.

Next, a plurality of usage examples included in the triangle of FIG. 1will be described in more detail.

5G could complement fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) and cable-based broadband(or DOCSIS) as a means of delivering streams rated at hundreds ofmegabits per second to gigabits per second. Such high speed may berequired to deliver TVs with resolutions of 4K or higher (6K, 8K andhigher) as well as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). VRand AR applications almost include immersive sports events. Certainapplications may require special network settings. For VR games, forexample, game companies may need to integrate core servers with networkoperators' edge network servers to minimize latency.

Smart cities and smart homes, referred to as smart societies, will beembedded with high-density wireless sensor networks. A distributednetwork of intelligent sensors will identify conditions for keeping acity or house cost- and energy-efficient. A similar setup can beperformed for each household. Temperature sensors, window and heatingcontrollers, burglar alarms and appliances are all connected wirelessly.Many of these sensors typically require low data rates, low power andlow cost. However, for example, real-time HD video may be required incertain types of devices for surveillance.

The consumption and distribution of energy, including heat or gas, ishighly decentralized, requiring automated control of distributed sensornetworks. Smart grids use digital information and communicationtechnologies to interconnect these sensors to collect information andact on it. This information can include supplier and consumer behavior,enabling smart grids to improve efficiency, reliability, economics,sustainability of production and distribution of fuels such aselectricity in an automated manner. The smart grid can also be viewed asanother low-latency sensor network.

The health sector has many applications that can benefit from mobilecommunications. The communication system may support telemedicineproviding clinical care from a remote location. This can help reducebarriers to distance and improve access to consistently unavailablehealth care services in remote rural areas. It is also used to savelives in critical care and emergency situations. A wireless sensornetwork based on mobile communication may provide remote monitoring andsensors for parameters such as heart rate and blood pressure.

Wireless and mobile communications are becoming increasingly importantin industrial applications. Wiring is expensive to install and maintain.Thus, the possibility of replacing cables with reconfigurable radiolinks is an attractive opportunity for many industries. Achieving this,however, requires that wireless connections operate with cable-likedelays, reliability and capacity, and that their management issimplified. Low latency and very low error probability are newrequirements that need to be connected with 5G.

Logistics and freight tracking are important use cases for mobilecommunications that use location-based information systems to enabletracking of inventory and packages from anywhere. Logistics and freighttracking use cases typically require low data rates but require widerange and reliable location information.

In particular, automotive is expected to become an important new drivingforce for 5G with many use cases for mobile communication to vehicles.For example, entertainment for passengers requires both high capacityand high mobile broadband. The reason is that future users continue toexpect high-quality connections regardless of their location and speed.Another example of use in the automotive sector is augmented realitydashboards. The augmented reality contrast board allows drivers toidentify objects in the dark above what they are seeing through thefront window. The augmented reality dashboard displays information toinform the driver about the distance and movement of objects bysuperimposing the information on the front window. In the future,wireless modules will enable communication between vehicles, informationexchange between vehicles and supporting infrastructure, and informationexchange between vehicles and other connected devices (eg, devicescarried by pedestrians). Safety systems can lower the risk of accidentsby guiding drivers through alternative courses of action to help themdrive safer. The next step will be remote-controlled vehicles orautonomous vehicles. This requires very reliable and very fastcommunication between different autonomous vehicles and/or betweenvehicles and infrastructure. In the future, autonomous vehicles willperform all driving activities, allowing drivers to focus only ontraffic anomalies that the vehicle itself cannot identify. Thetechnological requirements of autonomous vehicles require ultra-lowlatency and ultra-fast reliability to increase traffic safety tounattainable levels for humans.

FIG. 2 is a structural diagram of a next-generation mobile communicationnetwork.

A next-generation mobile communication network (5G System) may includevarious components, and in FIG. 2, AMF (Access and Mobility ManagementFunction) 51 and SMF (session management function), Session ManagementFunction (52), PCF (Policy Control Function) (53), AF (ApplicationFunction: Application Function) (55), N3IWF (Non-3GPP InterworkingFunction: Non-3GPP Interworking Function) 59, a UPF (User PlaneFunction) 54, a UDM (Unified Data Management), and data network 56corresponding to some of the various components are shown.

The UE 10 is connected to the data network 60 via the UPF 55 through aNext Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) including the gNB 20.

The UE 10 may be provided with a data service even through untrustednon-3GPP access, e.g., a wireless local area network (WLAN). In order toconnect the non-3GPP access to a core network, the N3IWF 59 may bedeployed.

The illustrated N3IWF performs a function of managing interworkingbetween the non-3GPP access and the 5G system. When the UE 10 isconnected to non-3GPP access (e.g., WiFi referred to as IEEE 801.11),the UE 10 may be connected to the 5G system through the N3IWF. The N3IWFperforms control signaling with the AMF and is connected to the UPFthrough an N3 interface for data transmission.

The illustrated AMF may manage access and mobility in the 5G system. TheAMF may perform a function of managing Non-Access Stratum (NAS)security. The AMF may perform a function of handling mobility in an idlestate.

The illustrated UPF is a type of gateway through which user data istransmitted/received. The UPF may perform the entirety or a portion of auser plane function of a serving gateway (S-GW) and a packet datanetwork gateway (P-GW) of 4G mobile communication.

The UPF operates as a boundary point between a next generation radioaccess network (NG-RAN) and the core network and maintains a data pathbetween the gNB 20 and the SMF. In addition, when the UE 10 moves overan area served by the gNB 20, the UPF serves as a mobility anchor point.The UPF may perform a function of handling a PDU. For mobility withinthe NG-RAN (which is defined after 3GPP Release-15), the UPF may routepackets. In addition, the UPF may also serve as an anchor point formobility with another 3GPP network (RAN defined before 3GPP Release-15,e.g., universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) terrestrialradio access network (UTRAN), evolved (E)-UTRAN or global system formobile communication (GERAN)/enhanced data rates for global evolution(EDGE) RAN. The UPF may correspond to a termination point of a datainterface toward the data network.

The illustrated PCF is a node that controls an operator's policy.

The illustrated AF is a server for providing various services to the UE10.

The illustrated UDM is a kind of server that manages subscriberinformation, such as home subscriber server (HSS) of 4G mobilecommunication. The UDM stores and manages the subscriber information ina unified data repository (UDR).

The illustrated SMF may perform a function of allocating an Internetprotocol (IP) address of the UE. In addition, the SMF may control aprotocol data unit (PDU) session.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an expected structure of anext-generation mobile communication network from the viewpoint of anode.

As can be seen with reference to FIG. 3, the UE is connected to a datanetwork (DN) through a next-generation RAN (Radio Access Network).

The illustrated control plane function (CPF) node performs all or partof the functions of the Mobility Management Entity (MME) of the 4thgeneration mobile communication, and all or part of the control planefunctions of the Serving Gateway (S-GW) and all or part of the controlplane functions of the PDN Gateway (P-GW). The CPF node includes an AMFand an SMF.

The illustrated Authentication Server Function (AUSF) authenticates andmanages the UE.

The illustrated network slice selection function (Network SliceSelection Function: NSSF) is a node for network slicing introduced in5G.

The illustrated Network Exposure Function (NEF) is a node for providinga mechanism for securely exposing the services and functions of the 5Gcore. For example, NEF may expose functions and events, securely provideinformation from external applications to the 3GPP network, translateinternal/external information, provides control plane parameters, andmanage packet flow description (PFD).

In FIG. 4, a UE may simultaneously access two data networks usingmultiple protocol data unit (PDU) sessions.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an architecture forsupporting simultaneous access to two data networks.

FIG. 4 shows an architecture for a UE to simultaneously access two datanetworks using one PDU session.

For reference, a description of the reference point shown in FIGS. 2 to4 is as follows.

N1: Reference point between UE and AMF

N2: Reference point between NG-RAN and AMF

N3: Reference point between NG-RAN and UPF

N4: Reference point between SMF and UPF

N5: Reference point between PCF and AF

N6: Reference point between UPF and DN

N7: Reference point between SMF and PCF

N8: Reference point between UDM and AMF

N10: Reference point between UDM and SMF

N11: Reference point between AMF and SMF

N12: Reference point between AMF and AUSF

N13: Reference point between UDM and AUSF

N15: In a non-roaming scenario, a reference point between the PCF andthe AMF. In a roaming scenario, the reference point between the AMF andthe PCF of the visited network

N22: Reference point between AMF and NSSF

N30: Reference point between PCF and NEF

N33: Reference point between AF and NEF

In FIGS. 3 and 4, the AF by a third party other than the operator may beconnected to the 5GC through the NEF.

FIG. 5 is another exemplary diagram showing a structure of a radiointerface protocol between a UE and a gNB.

The radio interface protocol is based on the 3GPP radio access networkstandard. The radio interface protocol is horizontally composed of aphysical layer, a data link layer, and a network layer, and isvertically divided into a user plane for transmission of datainformation and a control plane for transfer of control signal(signaling).

The protocol layers may be divided into L1 (first layer), L2 (secondlayer), and L3 layer (third layer) based on the lower three layers ofthe open system interconnection (OSI) reference model widely known incommunication systems.

Hereinafter, each layer of the radio protocol will be described.

The first layer, the physical layer, provides an information transferservice using a physical channel. The physical layer is connected to anupper medium access control layer through a transport channel, and databetween the medium access control layer and the physical layer istransmitted through the transport channel. In addition, data istransmitted between different physical layers, that is, between thephysical layers of a transmitting side and a receiving side through aphysical channel.

The second layer includes a medium access control (MAC) layer, a radiolink control (RLC) layer, and a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP)layer.

The third layer includes radio resource control (hereinafter abbreviatedas RRC). The RRC layer is defined only in the control plane and is incharge of control of logical channels, transport channels, and physicalchannels related to configuration, reconfiguration and release of radiobearers. In this case, RB refers to a service provided by the secondlayer for data transfer between the UE and the E-UTRAN.

The NAS layer performs functions such as connection management (sessionmanagement) and mobility management.

The NAS layer is divided into a NAS entity for mobility management (MM)and a NAS entity for session management (SM).

1) NAS entity for MM provides the following functions in general.

NAS procedures related to AMF include the following.

-   -   Registration management and access management procedures. AMF        supports the following functions.    -   Secure NAS signal connection between UE and AMF (integrity        protection, encryption)

2) The NAS entity for SM performs session management between the UE andthe SMF.

The SM signaling message is processed, that is, generated and processed,at an NAS-SM layer of the UE and SMF. The contents of the SM signalingmessage are not interpreted by the AMF.

-   -   In the case of SM signaling transmission,    -   The NAS entity for the MM creates a NAS-MM message that derives        how and where to deliver an SM signaling message through a        security header representing the NAS transmission of SM        signaling and additional information on a received NAS-MM.    -   Upon receiving SM signaling, the NAS entity for the SM performs        an integrity check of the NAS-MM message, analyzes additional        information, and derives a method and place to derive the SM        signaling message.

Meanwhile, in FIG. 5, the RRC layer, the RLC layer, the MAC layer, andthe PHY layer located below the NAS layer are collectively referred toas an access stratum (AS).

On the other hand, in order to achieve the URLLC stipulated in 5GAA (5GAutomotive Association) and 5G, it should take less than 5 msec for theserver to receive vehicle status information from the vehicle and thevehicle to receive control data from the server and the vehicle tooperate. That is, operations that the cloud server to collect in-vehiclesensor data, and after analysis is completed, the cloud server totransmit a control command to the TCU (Telematics Communication Unit),and the TCU to deliver it to the target ECU (Electronic Control Unit)must be completed within 5 msec.

In the conventional cloud server-based network structure (eg, basestation-wired network-cloud server), it takes about 30-40 msec foroperations that data is transmitted from the base station to the cloudserver, the cloud server analyzes the data to transmit the data to thebase station, and the base station receives it.

To achieve ultra-reliable and low latency communications (URLLC), theEuropean Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) and 5GAA arediscussing Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC).

<Multi-Access Edge Computing(MEC)>

MEC is a network architecture that enables cloud computing capabilitiesand IT service environments at the edge of a cellular network(typically, the edge of any network). The basic idea of MEC is to runapplications (applications) and perform processing tasks related to thecellular customer, thereby reducing network congestion and makingapplications better. MEC technology is designed to be implemented in acellular base station or other edge node. MEC technology may rapidly andflexibly deploy new applications and new services for customers. MECenables cellular operators to open a Radio Access network (RAN) toauthorized third parties such as application developers and contentproviders.

The MEC server described in this specification refers to a communicationdevice that provides a cloud computing function or an IT serviceenvironment at the edge of a network.

FIGS. 6a to 6d show an example implementation of the MEC server.

The user plane function (UPF) node 630 of FIGS. 6a to 6d is a type ofgateway through which user data is transmitted and received. The UPFnode 630 may perform all or part of the user plane functions of aserving-gateway (S-GW) and a packet data network-gateway (P-GW) of 4Gmobile communication. The core network 640 may be an Evolved Packet Core(EPC) or a 5G Core Network (5GC). N3 is a reference point between the(R)AN and the UPF node 630. N6 is a reference point between the UPF node630 and the data network. The base station 620 may be a 5G base station(gNB) or an LTE base station (eNB). The base station 620 may be a basestation including both a gNB and an eNB.

The AMF 650 is an Access and Mobility Management Function, and is aControl Plane Function (CPF) for managing access and mobility. The SMF660 is a Session Management Function and is a control plane function formanaging data sessions such as PDU (Protocol Data Unit) sessions.

Logically, the MEC server (MEC host) 610 may be implemented in an edgeor central data network. The UPF may perform a role to coordinate userplane (UP) traffic to a target MEC application (application in the MECserver 610) of the data network. The location of the data network andUPF can be selected by the network operator. Network operators maydeploy physical computing resources based on technical and businessvariables such as available facilities, supported applications andapplication requirements, measured or estimated user loads, and thelike. The MEC management system may dynamically determine a location todeploy the MEC application by coordinating the operation of the MECserver 610 (MEC host) and the application.

FIG. 6a is an implementation example in which the MEC server 610 and theUPF node 630 are deployed together with the base station 620. FIG. 6b isan example implementation in which the MEC server 610 is co-located witha transmitting node (eg, UPF node 630). In FIG. 6b , the core network640 may communicate with the UPF node 630 and the MEC server 610 througha network aggregation point. FIG. 6c is an example implementation inwhich the MEC server 610 and the UPF node 630 are deployed together witha network aggregation point. FIG. 6d is an example implementation inwhich the MEC server 610 is deployed with core network 640 functions. InFIG. 6d , the MEC server 610 may be deployed in the same data center asthe core network 640 functions.

<Disclosure of the Present Specification>

FIG. 7 shows an example in which the MEC server remotely controls thevehicle.

Referring to FIG. 7, an MEC server 610, a base station 620, and vehicles660 a to 660 c are shown. The base station 620 may be a gNB or an eNB.The base station 620 may be a base station including both a gNB and aneNB. The MEC server 610 may be connected to the base station 620 throughwired communication or wireless communication. The MEC server 610 maytransmit data to or receive data from the base station 620. Although thefigure shows that the MEC server 610 and the base station 620 aredirectly connected, this is only an example, and the MEC server 610 maybe connected to the base station 620 through another network node. Thebase station 620 may transmit/receive data to and from a TelematicsCommunication Unit (TCU) mounted in the vehicles 660 a to 660 c.

The TCU may obtain status information from devices mounted on thevehicles 660 a to 660 c, and the status information may include varioussensor data, video data, and the like. The TCU may transmit stateinformation (or vehicle-related information including the stateinformation) to the base station 620, and the base station 620 maytransmit the state information to the MEC server 610. Then, the MECserver 610 may transmit data for controlling the vehicles 660 a to 660 cto the base station 620 based on the state information. When the basestation 620 transmits data for controlling the vehicles 660 a to 660 cto the TCU, the TCU may control the vehicles 660 a to 660 c bytransmitting the received data to devices mounted on the vehicles 660 ato 660 c. Then, the MEC server 610 may transmit map information to thebase station 620, and the base station 620 may transmit it to the TCU.The TCU may control the vehicles 660 a to 660 c using the mapinformation.

A TCU mounted on the MEC server 610 and the vehicles 660 a to 660 c willbe described in detail with reference to FIG. 8.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an MEC server andan example of a TCU according to the disclosure of the presentspecification.

The MEC server is the MEC server 610 described with reference to FIGS.6a to 6d and 7, and will be described below by omitting referencenumerals. The TCU 100 is a TCU mounted on the vehicles 660 a to 660 cdescribed with reference to FIG. 7, and will be described below byomitting reference numerals.

The MEC server may be implemented as in the examples described withreference to FIGS. 6a to 6d . Although it is illustrated in FIG. 8 thatthe MEC server directly communicates with the base stations, this isonly an example, and the MEC server may communicate with the basestations through another network node (eg, a UPF node). The MEC servermay include a processor (not shown) and a memory (not shown). The memorycan store the MEC server app. The processor may perform the operationsdescribed in the disclosure of this specification by using the MECserver app stored in the memory. MEC server app is, for example, VR/ARapp, video app, camera data analysis app, sensor data analysis app(including lidar sensor data analysis app and radar sensor data analysisapp), engine ECU data analysis app, speed ECU data analysis app, HVACECU data analysis app, an ECU control app, a control command sendingapp, a baseball app, a golf app, and the like.

A 5G base station (sub6 GHz) is a base station that performscommunication based on the 5G standard in the FR1 (Frequency Range 1)band (frequency band below 7125 MHz). A 5G base station (mmWave) is abase station that performs communication based on the 5G standard in theFR2 (Frequency Range 2) band (frequency band of 24250-52600 MHz). TheLTE base station is a base station that performs communication based onthe LTE standard. A Wi-Fi base station is a base station that performscommunication based on the Wi-Fi standard. The MEC server maycommunicate with the TCU using at least one of a 5G base station (sub6GHz), a 5G base station (mmWave), an LTE base station, and a Wi-Fi basestation.

The TCU may include an LTE transceiver, a 5G transceiver (sub6 GHz), a5G transceiver (mmWave), a WiFi transceiver, a processor and a memory.The LTE transceiver is a communication transceiver (ie, a transceiver)that performs communication (transmission/reception of data) based onthe LTE standard. The 5G transceiver (sub6 GHz) is a communicationtransceiver (ie, a modem) that performs communication(transmission/reception of data) based on the 5G standard in the FR 1band. The 5G transceiver (mmWave) is a communication transceiver (ie,transceiver) that performs communication (transmission and reception ofdata) based on the 5G standard in the FR 2 band. The WiFi transceiver isa communication transceiver (ie, a transceiver) that performscommunication (transmission and reception of data) based on the WiFistandard. The LTE transceiver, 5G transceiver (sub6 GHz), 5G transceiver(mmWave) and WiFi transceiver can be connected with the processorthrough an interface such as PCIe (PCI express). In addition, althoughthe LTE transceiver, 5G transceiver (sub6 GHz), 5G transceiver (mmWave),and WiFi transceiver are each shown as separate objects, but onecommunication transceiver may perform functions of the LTE transceiver,5G transceiver (sub6 GHz), 5G transceiver (mmWave) and WiFi transceiver.

The processor of TCU is connected with LTE/5G transceiver (sub6 GHz),LTE/5G transceiver (mmWave), WiFi transceiver and memory. The memory maystore MEC client apps. The processor may receive data transmitted bybase stations or terminals (terminal 1 and terminal 2) using an LTEtransceiver, a 5G transceiver (sub6 GHz), a 5G transceiver (mmWave), anda WiFi transceiver. The processor may transmit data to base stations orterminals (terminal 1 and terminal 2) using an LTE transceiver, a 5Gtransceiver (sub6 GHz), a 5G transceiver (mmWave), and a WiFitransceiver. Here, the terminals (terminal 1 and terminal 2) may bewireless communication devices used by a user in a vehicle. In addition,the processor of the TCU may perform the operations described in thedisclosure of this specification by using the MEC client app stored inthe memory.

The processor of the TCU may be connected to electronic devices in thevehicle. For example, the processor may be connected to a Domain ControlUnit (DCU), a Local Interconnect Network (LIN) master, a Media OrientedSystem Transport (MOST) master, and an Ethernet switch. The processor ofthe TCU may communicate with the DCU using CAN (Controller Area Network)communication technology. The processor of the TCU can communicate withthe LIN master using LIN (Local Interconnect Network) communicationtechnology. The processor of the TCU can communicate with the MOSTmaster connected by fiber optics using MOST communication technology.The processor of the TCU can communicate with the Ethernet switch anddevices connected to the Ethernet switch using Ethernet communicationtechnology.

The DCU is an electronic device that controls a plurality of ECUs. TheDCU can communicate with a plurality of ECUs using CAN communicationtechnology. Here, CAN is a standard communication technology designedfor microcontrollers or electronic devices to communicate with eachother in a vehicle. CAN is a non-host bus type, message-based networkprotocol mainly used for communication between controllers.

The DCU may communicate with an ECU such as an engine ECU that controlsthe engine, a brake ECU that controls brakes, and an HVAC ECU thatcontrols a heating, ventilation, & air conditioning (HVAC) device, etc.The DCU may transmit data received from the processor of the TCU to eachECU. In addition, the DCU may transmit the data received from each ECUto the processor of the TCU.

The LIN master may communicate with LIN slaves (LIN Slave #1 and LINSlave #2) using LIN communication technology. For example, LIN Slave #1may be a slave that controls one of a steering wheel, a roof top, adoor, a seat, and a small motor. Here, LIN is a serial communicationtechnology for communication between components in an automobilenetwork. The LIN master may receive data from the processor of the TCUand transmit it to the LIN slaves (LIN Slave #1 and LIN Slave #2). Inaddition, the LIN master may transmit data received from the LIN slavesto the processor of the TCU.

The MOST master may communicate with the MOST slaves (MOST Slave #1 andMOST Slave #2) using MOST communication technology. Here, MOST is aserial communication technology that transmits audio, video, and controlinformation using an optical cable. The MOST master may transmit datareceived from the processor of the TCU to the MOST slaves. Also, theMOST master can transmit data received from the MOST slaves to theprocessor of the TCU.

Ethernet is a computer networking technology used in local area networks(LAN), metropolitan area networks (MAN), and wide area networks (WAN).The processor of the TCU can transmit data to each electronic devicethrough an Ethernet switch using Ethernet communication technology. Eachelectronic device can transmit data to the processor of the TCU throughan Ethernet switch using Ethernet communication technology.

Radar (radio detection and ranging) is a technology for measuring thedistance, direction, angle, and velocity of a target using radio waves.The radar sensors 1 to 5 are provided in the vehicle to measure thedistance, direction, angle, and speed of objects around the vehicle. Theradar sensors 1 to 5 may transmit the measured sensor data to theprocessor of the TCU.

LiDAR (light detection and ranging) is a sensing technology that uses alight source and a receiver to detect a remote object and measure adistance. Specifically, lidar is a technology that measures thedistance, intensity, speed, etc. to the target by illuminating thetarget with pulsed laser light and measuring the pulse reflected by thesensor. The lidar sensors 1 to 5 measure the distance to the target,speed, and the like. The lidar sensors 1 to 5 may transmit the measuredsensor data to the processor of the TCU.

For reference, although radar sensors and lidar sensors are illustratedin FIG. 8 as using Ethernet communication technology, the radar sensorsand lidar sensors may also use CAN communication technology.

AVN (Audio, Video, Navigation) is a electronic device provided in avehicle to provide sound, video, and navigation. AVN may receive datafrom the processor of the TCU using Ethernet communication technology,and provide sound, image, and navigation based on the received data. AVNcan transmit data to the processor of the TCU using Ethernetcommunication technology.

The camera (front) and the camera (rear) can capture images from thefront and rear of the vehicle. Although it is illustrated in FIG. 8 thatthere is one camera in the front and one in the rear, this is only anexample, and cameras may be provided on the left and right sides. Inaddition, a plurality of cameras may be provided in each of the frontand rear. The cameras may transmit camera data to, and receive datafrom, the processor of the TCU using Ethernet communication technology.

Rear Side Entertainment (RSE) means rear seat entertainment. RSE is aelectronic device installed behind the passenger seat or behind thedriver's seat of a vehicle to provide entertainment to the occupants. Atablet may also be provided inside the vehicle. The RSE or tablet mayreceive data from the processor of the TCU and transmit the data to theprocessor of the TCU using Ethernet communication technology.

In the conventional cloud server-based network structure (eg, basestation-wired network-cloud server), it takes about 30-40 msec for thatdata is transmitted from the base station to the cloud server, the cloudserver analyzes the data to transmit the data to the base station, andthe base station receives it.

Specifically, a person remotely controls (Remote Driving Control) avehicle through a conventional cloud server, or a conventional cloudserver analyzes data of the vehicle's front camera/rear camera/varioussensors, such that the conventional cloud server may remotely controlelectronic devices such as ECU, etc, mounted on the vehicle. At thistime, if the device mounted on the vehicle or the user's terminal isusing a high-capacity real-time data service (multimedia data such asVR/AR, 8K video streaming, etc.), the possibility of an accident mayincrease because the operation (brake/speed/direction control, etc.) tocontrol the vehicle by transmitting the remote control data to thedevices mounted on the vehicle within 5 msec cannot be performed.

The MEC server according to the disclosure of the present specificationcan perform a function of receiving/storing/transmitting/analyzingvarious data such as video(camera)/audio/sensor data performed in aconventional cloud server, and a function of managing the TCU andelectronic devices mounted on the vehicle.

In the MEC server according to the disclosure of the presentspecification, there may be an MEC server application (MEC server app)for performing operations according to various purposes. The MEC servermay perform the operations described in the disclosure of thisspecification by using the MEC server application.

In addition, in the TCU according to the disclosure of the presentspecification, there may be an MEC client application (MEC client app)for performing operations according to various purposes. The TCU may usethe MEC client application to perform the operations described in thedisclosure of this specification.

The operations of the MEC server, the mobile communication network, andthe TCU to be described in the disclosure of the present specificationare briefly described below. However, the following description ismerely an example, and operations of the MEC server, the mobilecommunication network, and the TCU will be described in detail withreference to FIGS. 9 to 15.

The MEC server monitors the operation of the TCU and ECU in the vehicleto comply with regulations such as the Road Traffic Act, ISO26262(Standard related to industrial safety, Road vehicles—Functional safety)or SAE (System Architecture Evolution) standards. If the operation ofthe TCU and the ECU in the vehicle violates regulations, the MEC servercontrols the operation of the ECU in the vehicle based on a predefinedscenario.

The MEC server may analyzes vehicle-related information (eg, the statusinformation of devices in the vehicle such as engine ECU-related data,RPM (revolutions per minute) ECU-related data, wheel-related data,brake-related data, HVAC (heating, ventilation & air conditioning)related data, etc) received from the TCU in the vehicle, and controlsthe operation of electronic devices in the vehicle connected to the TCUbased on a predefined operation scenario.

When the MEC server transmits control data for a plurality of targetdevices in the vehicle at once, the TCU may transmit data frames, whichis based on a plurality of communication technologies(CAN/LIN/Flexray/MOST/Ethernet), by combining the data frames in onemessage. in order to efficiently transmit control data to the pluralityof target devices. The TCU may transmit a data frame based on eachcommunication technology to a target device in the vehicle (eg, acontroller/master such as ECU, a LIN master). The TCU transmits theexecution result of the control data provided from the MEC server to theMEC server, and the MEC server can determine the failure/success of thecontrol data transmission (FAIL/SUCCESS).

If the result of the target device (the device that will receive thedata sent by the MEC server) executing the control data (sent by the MECserver) is FAIL or there is a delay in the target device, the MEC servermay retransmit the same control data for a predetermined number of times(eg, 10). In this case, the MEC server may retransmit the control datausing the beam having the highest data rate.

To secure safety, the MEC server may retransmit the same control commandby selecting at least one beam of the beams with the highest data rateamong the beams of the 5G_sub6 Ghz base station, the beam with thehighest data rate among the beams of the 5G_mmWave base station, and thebeam with the highest data rate among the beams of the LTE base station.

The MEC server may monitor the operating state of the TCU and determinethe current state of the TCU. For example, the MEC server may monitorthe operation state of the TCU, and determine the current state of theTUC as one of inactive, active, sleeping, and moving.

The MEC server may receive vehicle-related information (eg, vehiclelocation-related information) from the TCU and manage the vehiclelocation (eg, collect/analyze/control/record).

The MEC server may receive vehicle-related information (eg, vehiclespeed-related information) from the TCU and manage (eg,collect/analyze/control/record) vehicle speed-related information. TheMEC server manages information related to the speed of the vehicle todetermine whether the vehicle is overspeeding, whether the vehiclecomplies with a safe speed, and the like.

The MEC server may receive vehicle-related information (eg, engine ECUinformation) from the TCU and manage (eg,collect/analyze/control/record) engine ECU (Engine controlling ECU)information.

The MEC server receives vehicle-related information (eg, informationreceived from sensors and cameras mounted on the vehicle) from the TCUand manages (eg. collected/analyzed/controlled/recorded) information ofvehicle sensor and camera (Lidar, Radar, andfront/rear/measurement/cabin cameras).

As a result of analyzing vehicle sensor and camera information, if avehicle collision with pedestrians, obstacles, etc is expected, the MECserver controls the ECU (engine ECU, brake ECU, etc.) in the vehicle bytransmitting control data to the TCU based on the emergency responsescenario.

In order to distinguish control data (data based on ECU, MOST, LIN,FlexRay, etc.) and general (or normal) data used for multimedia services(high-capacity real-time data such as AR/VR/video/audio) transmitted toelectronic devices (ECU, etc.) mounted on the vehicle, the MEC servermay transmit a message including a tag for each type of data, which tobe transmitted to the TCU, to the TCU.

After checking the tag of the data included in the message received fromthe MEC server, the TCU may first store the control data used forvehicle control in the buffer of the memory. In addition, the TCU maytransmit control data from a memory to a device such as an ECUcontroller, and thereafter, high-capacity real-time data (ie, generaldata) may be transmitted after transmitting the control data.

When there is a large number of control data received from the MECserver, the TCU may transmit the control data of the highest priority tothe electronic device mounted on the vehicle according to the priorityof the tag of the control data.

The MEC server may transmit general data to the TCU so that a timeoutdoes not occur for each service of general data in consideration ofrequirements (delay time, etc.) of general data.

In addition, in consideration of the general data requirements (delaytime, etc.), the TCU may also transmit the general data received fromthe MEC server to the devices mounted on the vehicle so that a timeoutdoes not occur for each service of general data.

For reference, in the present specification, control data means dataincluding commands for controlling an autonomous driving-related deviceand a device controlling vehicle among electronic devices mounted on avehicle. The control data may include, for example, data based oncommunication technologies such as CAN, LIN, Flexray, and MOST, and datarelated to terrain used for autonomous driving, such as HD-MAP.

In the present specification, general data means data to be transmittedto a electronic device not directly related to autonomous driving amongdevices in a vehicle and to a terminal of a user riding in the vehicle.General data includes data related to multimedia services(AR/VR/video/audio) and other high-capacity real-time data.

As described in the background section, there is no existing method bywhich data transmission/reception between the MEC server and the TCUmounted on the vehicle can be performed quickly and efficiently.

For example, if the MEC server transmits 20 Gbps of data (eg, 8k video,8k AR/VR, etc.) to the TCU through the base station, the TCU maytransmit data to the in-vehicle terminal using the WiFi transceiver. Ifthe data rate of the WiFi transceiver is about 500 Mbps, data of 20 Gbpscannot be received.

While receiving high-capacity streaming data (eg 8k video, 8k AR/VR,etc.), the TCU could not effectively transmit camera data and sensordata (radar sensor data, lidar sensor data) to be used for vehicleremote control at the same time. Here, the data rate of the camera datamay be 12 Gbps or more, and the data rates of the radar sensor data andthe lidar sensor data may be 10 Gbps or more, respectively.

In addition, in order for the MEC server to remotely control thevehicle, the TCU needs to transmit as much camera data and sensor dataas possible to the MEC server. However, in the prior art, there is aproblem that sufficient time resources are not allocated for uplinktransmission from the TCU to the MEC server.

The disclosure of the present specification proposes a method forsolving the above-described problems.

TCU may transmit camera data (generated by 12 cameras, min. 12 Gbps) andsensor data (generated by min. 8 sensors, min. 8-80 Gbps) to the MECserver. The MEC server may analyze camera data and sensor data totransmit ECU control data to the TCU. Because the computing power of theMEC server is better than that of the TCU, the MEC server may analyzecamera data and sensor data faster than the TCU and effectively generateECU control data.

Conventional communication between the TCU and MEC was performed inorder of downlink (MEC server->TCU)->uplink (TCU->MEC server)->downlink(TCU->electronic device including ECU and terminal)->uplink (Electronicdevices including ECUs and terminals->TCU). Therefore, after receivingthe ECU control command message from the MEC server, the TCU was able totransmit the ECU control command message after completing uplink datatransmission to the MEC server. However, according to the disclosure ofthe present specification, the communication between the TCU and the MECcan be performed in order of downlink (MEC server->TCU)->downlink(TCU->electronic device including ECU and terminal)->uplink (TCU->MEC)Server)->uplink (electronic device including ECU and terminal->TCU).Accordingly, since the TCU can directly transmit the ECU control commandmessage received from the MEC server to the ECU, the ECU control commandmessage can be delivered to the ECU faster than before.

The TCU performs uplink scheduling when transmitting camera data andsensor data to the MEC server, so that the TCU may the TCU may completescontrol operation, by receiving ECU control data from the MEC server,and transferring ECU control data to ECU, within 5 msec from when thecamera and sensor transmit camera data and sensor data to the TCU.

The MEC server may adjust the sampling rate of the camera and sensorbased on the TCU's uplink transmission capability (available buffersize, data rate, uplink service requirements, etc.).

In order that the data rate Cu_(i)(t) that needs to be transmitted inthe uplink within the time slot for uplink transmission can besupported, the MEC server may determine a combination of transmissionbeams the data rate group of the TCU's transmission beam,Ru_(i)(t)={Ru_(i,1,1)(t), . . . , Ru_(i,a,b)(t), . . . ,RU_(i,amax,bmax)(t)} through uplink scheduling. That is, the MEC servermay determine a transmission beam used for uplink transmission of theTCU. The MEC server may transmit information on the determinedtransmission beam to the TCU, and the TCU may perform uplinktransmission using the transmission beam determined by the MEC server.Or, TCU may determine combination of the transmission beams fromRu_(i)(t)={Ru_(i,1,1)(t), . . . , Ru_(i,a,b)(t), . . . ,Ru_(i,amax,bmax)(t)}, data rate group of transmission beam of TCU byuplink scheduling. Hereinafter, operation of the MEC server, TCU andmobile communication network (including the base station) according tothe disclosure of the present specification will be described in detailwith reference to FIGS. 9 to 15. Hereinafter, the disclosure of thepresent specification will be described focusing on a case in which oneTCU exists, but this is only an example, and operations described in thepresent disclosure may be applied even when a plurality of TCUs exist.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example in which the TCU of FIG. 8 is connected toone or more electronic devices.

Referring to FIG. 9, an example in which the TCU of FIG. 8 is connectedto a plurality of electronic devices through an Ethernet switch isshown.

The communication speed of the first Ethernet switch and the secondEthernet switch of FIG. 9 may be 10 Gbps. However, this is merely anexample, and the communication speed of the Ethernet switch may be 10Gbps or less or may exceed 10 Gbps. In addition, although only twoEthernet switches are shown in FIG. 9, this is only an example, and inthe scope of the present disclosure, the number of Ethernet switchesconnected to the TCU may be two or less or more than two.

Ten electronic devices (front cameras 1 to 4, rear cameras 1 to 4, andradar sensors 1 and 2) may be connected to the first Ethernet switch.The communication speed of each electronic device connected to the firstEthernet switch may be 1 Gbps. However, this is only an example, and thecommunication speed of each electronic device may be a value differentfrom that of FIG. 9 within the range of the communication speed of theEthernet switch.

Ten electronic devices (radar sensors 3 and 4, lidar sensors 1 to 4, andRSEs 1 to 4) may be connected to the second Ethernet switch. Thecommunication speed of each electronic device connected to the secondEthernet switch may be 1 Gbps. However, this is only an example, and thecommunication speed of each electronic device may be a value differentfrom that of FIG. 9 within the range of the communication speed of theEthernet switch.

The raw data transfer rate of the lidar sensor and the radar sensor maybe 10 Gbps, and the lidar sensor and the radar sensor may reduce thedata rate to 1 Gbps depending on the performance of the vehicle'sEthernet switch. That is, the lidar sensor and the radar sensor mayadjust the data rate of the sensor data by adjusting the sampling rateof the sensor data based on the Ethernet communication speed.

The TCU may transmit information on the data rate, such as a samplingrate of each electronic device, etc, to the MEC server. The MEC servermay check information about the data rate of each electronic device. TheMEC server may transmit a message for adjusting the sampling rate of theelectronic device to the TCU in consideration of the capacity of alldata (the feedback message related to multimedia data, the capacity ofthe camera data, the capacity of the sensor data) transmitted by theTCU. Then, the TCU may adjust the sampling rate of each electronicdevice by transmitting a message to each electronic device to adjust thesampling rate.

FIG. 10 shows an example of a buffer of a memory of the TCU of FIG. 8and a buffer of a transceiver of the TCU.

As shown in FIG. 10, a buffer for uplink transmission (Tx) and a bufferfor downlink reception (Rx) may be allocated in a memory connected tothe processor of the TCU. A buffer available in the uplink Tx buffer ofthe memory may be defined as an available Tx buffer B₁(t). A bufferavailable in the downlink Rx buffer of the memory may be defined as anavailable Rx buffer (B₂(t)).

In addition, the transceiver connected to the processor of the TCU mayinclude a memory. A buffer for uplink transmission (Tx) and a buffer fordownlink reception (Rx) may be allocated to the memory of thetransceiver. Here, the transceiver may be one of an LTE transceiver, a5G transceiver (sub6 GHz), a 5G transceiver (mmWave), or a WiFitransceiver shown in FIG. 8. A buffer available in the uplink Tx bufferof the transceiver may be defined as an available Tx buffer B₃(t). Abuffer available in the downlink Rx buffer of the memory may be definedas an available Rx buffer (B₄(t)).

An operating system (OS) such as Linux may be installed in thetransceiver (eg, 5G transceiver, LTE transceiver) of the TCU, and thetransceiver may operate independently.

The TCU may use not only an available Tx buffer (B₁(t)) and an availableRx buffer (B₂(t)) in the memory of the TCU, but also an available Txbuffer (B₃(t)) and an available Rx buffer (B₄(t)) in the transceiver tobuffer data.

After buffering data in the uplink Tx buffer, the transceiver maytransmit the buffered data to the base station or the terminal. Forexample, the 5G transceiver (mmWave) may transmit buffered data at adata rate of 20 Gbps.

FIGS. 11a and 11b are signal flow diagrams illustrating examples ofoperations of a TCU, an MEC server, and a mobile communication networkaccording to the disclosure of the present specification.

Referring to FIGS. 11a and 11b , in step S1101, the MEC server mayreceive TCU information connected to the base station from a mobilecommunication network including the base station. Hereinafter, a mobilecommunication network means a mobile communication network including abase station. The MEC server may receive information on all TCUsconnected to the base station. The TCU information may include a list ofTCU IDs, information on a channel between the TCU and the base station,timing information on communication between the TCU and the basestation, and the like. In addition, the TCU information may furtherinclude information on a service list for each TCU, a delay requirementfor each service for each TCU, and a minimum data rate requirement foreach service for each TCU. Here, the service may be a service related todata requested or transmitted by one or more electronic devices (eg,AVN, VR device, RSE, etc.) installed in the vehicle.

In step S1102, the MEC server may transmit a pilot signal to the mobilecommunication network, and the base station included in the mobilecommunication network may transmit the pilot signal to the TCU. The MECserver may broadcast a pilot signal by using at least one transmit beamof a 5G base station (sub 6 Ghz), at least one transmit beam of a 5Gbase station (mmWave), at least one transmit beam of an LTE basestation, and at least one transmit beam of a WiFi base station.

In step S1103, the TCU may determine channel state information for aradio channel between the TCU and the base station based on the receivedpilot signal. Here, the channel state information may be a channelquality indicator (CQI).

In step S1104, the TCU may transmit channel state information to thebase station. Then, the mobile communication network may transmit thechannel state information to the MEC server.

In step S1105, the MEC server may determine an available data rate for acombination of the plurality of transmit beams of the base station andthe plurality of receive beams of the TCU.

For example, the MEC server may determine an available data rate groupRd_(i)(t) as shown in Table 1 below based on the channel stateinformation.

TABLE 1 Rd_(i)(t) = {Rd_(i, 1, 1)(t), . . . , Rd_(i, j, k)(t), . . .Rd_(i, jmax, kmax)(t)}

t may be a time point at which the MEC server determines the data rate.Here, i may be an index indicating the ID of the TCU, j may be an indexindicating the type of the base station, and k may be an indexindicating the order number of the transmission beam in each basestation. For example, the example of j is as follows.

j=1: 5G base station (mmWave)

j=2: 5G base station (sub6 Ghz)

j=3: LTE base station

j=4: WiFi base station

k may exist as much as the maximum number of beams (kmax) of thecorresponding base station for each base station index j. For example,when the maximum number of beams of a 5G base station (mmWave) is U,when j=1, k may be k=1 to U. When the maximum number of beams of the 5Gbase station (sub6 Ghz) is X, when j=2, k may be k=1 to X. When themaximum number of beams of the LTE base station is Y, when j=3, k may bek=1˜Y. When the maximum number of beams of the WiFi base station is Z, kmay be k=1 to Z when j=4.

For reference, the order in which steps S1102 to S1105 described aboveare performed is not limited to the order shown in FIGS. 11a and 11b ,and may be performed periodically.

In step S1106, the TCU may obtain information about the available buffersize.

Specifically, as described in the example of FIG. 10, the TCU may obtainthe size of the available Tx buffer (B_(i,1)(t)) and the size of theavailable Rx buffer (B_(i,2)(t)) of the memory of the TCU. there is. Inaddition, the TCU may obtain the size (B_(i,3)(t)) of the available Txbuffer in the memory of the transceiver and the size (B_(i,4)(t)) of theavailable Rx buffer. Here, the TCU may obtain B_(i,3)(t) and B_(i,4)(t)only for the memory of the transceiver that can transmit uplink data at20 Gbps or more. When the TCU includes a plurality of transceivers, theTCU may obtain the size of the Tx buffer (B_(i,3)(t)) and the size ofthe available Rx buffer (B_(i,4)(t)) for each transceiver. Informationon the available buffer size may include information on all ofB_(i,1)(t), B_(i,2)(t), B_(i,3)(t), and B_(i,4)(t).

In step S1107, the TCU may obtain information on downlink servicerequirements. The order in which the above-described steps S1106 andS1107 are performed is not limited by the examples shown in thedrawings, and may be performed periodically.

Here, the information on the downlink service requirement may includeinformation on the data rate requirement and information on the delayrequirement. In addition, the information on the downlink servicerequirements may further include at least one of the sampling rate ofelectronic device, the number of frames, whether the downlink datarequested by the electronic device is raw data, or an encoding methodwhen the downlink data of the electronic device is encoded (eg: H264,H265, HEVC, etc.). Here, the electronic device may include a pluralityof cameras, a plurality of lidar sensors, a plurality of radar sensors,and a plurality of RSEs, etc illustrated in the examples of FIGS. 8 and9.

Here, the electronic device may include a plurality of cameras, aplurality of lidar sensors, a plurality of radar sensors, and aplurality of RSEs illustrated in the examples of FIGS. 8 and 9.

In step S1108, the TCU may transmit information on the available buffersize and information on downlink service requirements to the MEC serverthrough the base station. The TCU may also transmit information on theuplink service requirement of step S1116 to be described later to theMEC server.

The MEC server may determine the downlink data rate Cd_(i,p,q)(t)required by each electronic device of the TCU based on the informationon the downlink service requirement. Alternatively, the information onthe downlink service requirement may include Cd_(i,p,q)(t).

Here, p may be an index indicating the type of the electronic device inthe vehicle. For example, p may indicate the type of electronic devicesuch as p=1: camera, p=2: lidar sensor, p=3: radar sensor, p=4: wirelessterminal, p=5: RSE, p=6: AVN, p=7: ECU, etc.

q may be an index indicating a device number within the same electronicdevice type. For example, when p=1 is a camera, p=1 & q=1 may be a frontcamera 1, and p=1 & q=10 may be a side (right) camera 2.

For example, the MEC server may determine Cd_(i,p,q)(t) by using thedownlink sampling rate Ld (number of samples per 1 second), the numberof downlink frames Fd (number of frames per 1 second), and the number ofbits per downlink frame Bd (bits per 1 second) of the electronic device.MEC server may calculate Cd_(i,p,q)(t) based onCd_(i,p,q)(t)=Ld_(i,p,q)(t)*Fd_(i,p,q)(t)*Bd_(i,p,q)(t).

In addition, in the same manner as the method for determiningCd_(i,p,q)(t), the MEC server may determineCu_(i,p,q)(t)=Lu_(i,p,q)(t)*Fu_(i,p,q)(t)*Bu_(i,p,q)(t), based oninformation on uplink service requirements. Here, Lu may representuplink sampling data, Fu may represent the number of uplink frames, andBu may represent the number of bits per uplink frame.

After the MEC server obtains information on the available buffer size,the MEC server may use the smaller buffer size between B_(i,1)(t) andB_(i,3)(t) as the Tx available buffer size B_(i,Tx)(t) of the TCU, andthe MEC server may use the smaller buffer size B₂(t) and B₄(t) as the Rxavailable buffer size B_(i,Rx)(t) of the TCU. In other words,B_(i,Tx)(t) may be B_(i,Tx)(t)=min(B_(i,1)(t), B_(i,3)(t)), B_(i,Rx)(t)may be B_(i,Rx)(t)=min(B_(i,2)(t), and B_(i,4)(t)). In step S1109, theMEC server may use at least one of B_(i,Tx)(t) or B_(i,Rx)(t) asinformation about the available buffer size of the TCU.

In step S1109, the MEC server may determine a data rate of downlink dataand a first transmission beam (a transmission beam used for transmissionof downlink data) based on the available data rate and information onthe available buffer size. In addition, the MEC server may determine theavailable time Tu(t) for uplink transmission. For example, Tu(t) may beTu(t)=data frame length (eg, 5 ms in the case of a 5G frame with alength of 5 ms)−T_(i,B_Rx). T_(i,B_Rx) will be described later withreference to FIG. 12.

In step S1110, the MEC server may transmit downlink data to the TCUthrough the base station. The MEC server may transmit downlink data andinformation on the first transmission beam to the base station. Then,the base station may transmit downlink data to the TCU by using thefirst transmission beam of the base station. For reference, the MECserver may request downlink data to a cloud server (eg, cloud server)related to the data (eg, VR device-related data) that needs to beprovided with data from the cloud server among the downlink datarequested by the TCU. In addition, the MEC server may transmit downlinkdata received from the cloud server to the TCU through the base station.When the MEC server requests all downlink data from the cloud server,the MEC server may request the downlink data from the cloud server asmuch as “N_(max)*Cd_(i)(t)” to be described in FIG. 12.

In step S1111, the TCU may transmit downlink data to at least oneelectronic device.

In step S1112, the TCU may transmit a pilot signal to the base station,and the mobile communication network may transmit a pilot signal to theMEC server. For example, the TCU may broadcast a pilot signal by usingat least one transmission beam of a 5G transceiver (sub 6 Ghz), at leastone transmission beam of a 5G transceiver (mmWave), at least onetransmission beam of an LTE transceiver, or at least one transmit beamof a WiFi transceiver.

In step S1113, the MEC server may determine channel state informationfor a radio channel between the TCU and the base station based on thereceived pilot signal. Here, the channel state information may be achannel quality indicator (CQI).

In step S1114, the MEC server may transmit channel state information tothe mobile communication network. Then, the base station may transmitthe channel state information to the TCU.

In step S1115, the TCU may determine an available data rate for acombination of the plurality of receive beams of the base station andthe plurality of transmit beams of the TCU.

For example, the TCU may determine an available data rate group as shownin Table 2 below based on the channel state information.

TABLE 2 Ru_(i)(t) = {Ru_(i, 1, 1)(t), . . . , Ru_(i, a, b)(t), . . .Ru_(i, amax, bmax)(t)}

t may be a time point at which the TCU determines the data rate. Here, imay be an index indicating the ID of the TCU, a may be an indexindicating the type of the transceiver of the TCU, and b may be an indexindicating the order of transmission beams in each transceiver. Forexample, an example of a is as follows.

a=1: 5G transceiver (mmWave)

a=2: 5G transceiver (sub6 Ghz)

a=3: LTE transceiver

a=4: WiFi transceiver

b may exist as much as the maximum number of beams (bmax) of thecorresponding transceiver for the index a of each transceiver. Forexample, when the maximum number of beams of the 5G transceiver (mmWave)is u, k may be k=1 to u when j=1. When the maximum number of beams ofthe 5G transceiver (sub6 Ghz) is x, when j=2, k may be k=1 to x. Whenthe maximum number of beams of the LTE transceiver is y, k may be k=1 toy when j=3. When the maximum number of beams of the WiFi transceiver isz, k may be k=1 to z when j=4.

For reference, the order in which steps S1112 to S1115 described aboveare performed is not limited to the order shown in FIGS. 11a and 11b ,and may be performed periodically. For reference, step S1115 may beperformed by the MEC server.

In step S1116, the TCU may obtain information on uplink servicerequirements from one or more electronic devices.

Here, the information on the uplink service requirement may includeinformation on the data rate requirement and information on the delayrequirement. In addition, the information on the uplink servicerequirement may further include at least one of the sampling rate of theelectronic device, the number of frames, whether the uplink data of theelectronic device is raw data, or an encoding method (eg, H264, H265,HEVC, etc.) when the uplink data of the electronic device is encoded,etc. Here, the electronic device may include a plurality of cameras, aplurality of lidar sensors, a plurality of radar sensors, and aplurality of RSEs illustrated in the examples of FIGS. 8 and 9.

In addition, the information on the uplink service requirements mayinclude information about camera data, sensor data, ECU execution resultmessage, RSE multimedia execution result message, AVN data executionresult/request, requests of wireless terminals, etc. And, theinformation on the uplink service requirements may include D_(i)(t), adelay requirement group of each electronic device,D_(i)(t)={D_(i,1,1)(t), . . . , D_(i,p,q)(t), . . . ,D_(i,pmax,qmax)(t)}.

The TCU may transmit information on uplink service requirements to theMEC server.

In step S1117, the TCU may determine a second transmission beam (atransmission beam used for uplink data transmission) based on theinformation on the available buffer size, the information on the uplinkservice requirement, and the available data rate. The TCU may performstep S1117 so that uplink data transmission is performed within a timeTu(t) available for uplink transmission.

The TCU may allocate uplink data to be transmitted to the MEC server foreach time slot. An example in which the TCU allocates uplink data foreach time slot is shown in FIGS. 14 and 15.

For reference, step S1117 may be performed by the MEC server. That is,the MEC server may perform the operations described in the examples ofFIGS. 14 and 15. And, when the MEC server transmits information on thesecond transmission beam to the TCU, the TCU may perform step S1119based on the received information on the second transmission beam.

In step S1118, the TCU may receive uplink data from one or moreelectronic devices. The TCU may transmit the received uplink data to theTx buffer of the transceiver corresponding to the second transmissionbeam, and the transceiver may transmit the buffered uplink data to thebase station using the second transmission beam.

In step S1119, the TCU may transmit uplink data to the MEC serverthrough the base station.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of S1109 of FIG. 11 a.

Referring to FIG. 12, in step S1201, the MEC server may determine thesum of data rates (Cd_(i)(t)) of the data rates Cd_(i,p,q)(t) requiredby one or more electronic devices and the sum of the data rates (Qdi(t))of the available data rate group Rd_(i)(t). The MEC server may considerRd_(i)(t) for both j=0 to j=jmax and k=0 to k=kmax.

Here, Cd_(i)(t) may mean the sum of downlink data rates required by allelectronic devices connected to TCU-i. MEC server may determineCd_(i)(t) as Cd_(i)(t)=Σ_(p=0) ^(p=pmax)Σ_(q=0) ^(q=qmax)Cd_(i,p,q)(t).

MEC server may determine Qdi(t) as Qd_(i)(t)=Σ_(j=0) ^(j=pmax)Σ_(k=0)^(k=kmax)Rd_(i,j,k)(t).

In step S1202, the MEC server may determine the maximum value N_(max) ofN that satisfies both of the two inequalities (i) N*Cd_(i)(t)<TCUsavailable buffer size B_(i,rx)(t) and ii) N*Cd_(i)(t)<Qdi(t)). That is,the MEC server transmits downlink data using a data rate higher by Ntimes the sum of the downlink data rates required by the TCU within theavailable buffer size of the TCU, thereby further securing the uplinktransmission time of the TCU.

As another example, the MEC server may determine whether to perform stepS1203 based on N_(max), based on T_(i,B_Rx) and T_(i,j*,k*). Here,T_(i,j*,k*) means the time required for the MEC server to transmit thetotal size of downlink data requested by the TCU. In addition,T_(i,j*,k*) may mean the time it takes for the cloud server related tothe downlink data requested by the TCU to fill its buffer with alldownlink data. Fi(t) means the total size of data requested by the TCU.T_(i,B_Rx) means the time required for the TCU to fill the availablebuffer B_(i,rx)(t). T_(i,j*,k*) may beT_(i,j*,k*)=F_(i)(t)/(min(Rd_(i),j*,k*(t), N*Cd_(i)(t))), T_(i,B_Rx) maybe T_(i,B_Rx)=B_(i,Rx)(t)/(min (Rd_(i),j*,k*(t), N*Cd_(i)(t))).

For example, when the inequality (T_(i,B_Rx)>T_(i,j*,k*)) is satisfied,the MEC server may perform step S1203. The case where the inequality(T_(i,B_Rx)>T_(i,j*,k*)) is not satisfied is when T_(i,j*,k*) is equalto or greater than the time(T_(i,B_Rx)) required for the TCU to fill theavailable buffer. If the inequality (T_(i,B_Rx)>T_(i,j*,k*)) is notsatisfied, the data flowing into the buffer in the cloud server may bestored in the TCU according to min(Rd_(i,j*,k*)(t), N*Cd_(i)(t)), whichis the speed that the TCU can receive. In other words, the MEC servermay receive the data flowing into the buffer in the cloud server, andthe MEC server may transmit the received data to the TCU according tothe transmission rate (min(Rd_(i,j*,k*)(t), N*Cd_(i)(t))).

In step S1203, the MEC server may add Rd_(i),j*,k*(t)=max(Rd_(i)(t)) toXd_(i)(t), and may delet Rd_(i,j*,k*)(t) from Rd_(i)(t). Here, Xd_(i)(t)may be a data rate group corresponding to a transmission beam to be usedfor downlink data transmission.

In step S1204, the MEC server may determine whethersum(Xd_(i)(t))>N_(max)*Cd_(i)(t) is satisfied. In other words, the MECserver may determine whether the sum of the data rates of all elementsof Xd_(i)(t) is greater than N_(max)*Cd_(i)(t).

When sum(Xd_(i)(t))>N_(max)* Cd_(i)(t), the MEC server may perform stepS1205. If it is not sum(Xd_(i)(t))>N_(max)* Cd_(i)(t), the MEC servermay perform step S1203 again.

In step S1205, the MEC server may determine a transmission beamcorresponding to the elements of Xd_(i)(t) as the first transmissionbeam and determine sum(Xd_(i)(t)) as a data rate of downlink data.Alternatively, the MEC server may determine a transmission beamcorresponding to an element having the highest data rate among elementsof Rd_(i)(t) (eg, a transmission beam having the highest data rate amongtransmission beams of the 5G transceiver (mmWave)) as the firsttransmission beam. Here, the first transmission beam means atransmission beam used for downlink data transmission.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of S1117 of FIG. 11 b.

Referring to FIG. 13, in step S1301, the TCU may determine the sum(Cu_(i) (t)) of data rates of the data rate group Cu_(i,p,q)(t) requiredby one or more electronic devices and may determine the sum (Qu_(i)(t))of the data rates of the available data rate group Ru_(i) (t).

In step S1302, the TCU may determine whether all of the two inequalities(Cu_(i)(t)+Qu_(i)(t)) && (B_(i,tx)(t)>0) are satisfied. If(Cu_(i)(t)<Qu_(i)(t)) && (B_(i,tx)(t)>0), the TCU may perform stepS1304. If it is not (Cu_(i)(t)<Qu_(i)(t)) && (B_(i,t,x)(t)>0), the TCUmay perform step S1303.

In step S1303, the TCU may transmit a message to lower the data raterequired by the one or more electronic devices to one or more electronicdevices. For example, the TCU may send a message to lower the samplingrate to the lidar sensor, the radar sensor, and the camera.

In step S1304, the TCU may determine the priority of Cu_(i,p,q)(t) basedon information on delay requirements of one or more electronic devices.That is, the TCU may determine the priority based on the information onthe uplink service requirement.

For example, the TCU may generate the following table related to datarate requirements and delay requirements among information on uplinkservice requirements.

TABLE 3 Time Delay remaining data rate Require- until timeout 1/require- ments (D_(i, p, q)(t) + (D_(i, p, q)(t) + data mentsD_(i, p, q)(t) t1 − T) t1 − T) sensor data 1 Gbps 5 msec 1 msec 10 (eg.: LiDAR sensor with p = 2, q = 1) camera data 1 Gbps 10 msec 1 msec 10(e.g.: camera data with p = 1, q = 3) ECU 1 Mbps 2 msec 0.2 msec 5execution result message (e.g. : ECU with p = 7, q = 5) AVN data 1 Mbps100 msec 2 msec 5 execution result (e.g.: AVN with p = 6, q = 2) AVNRequests 1 Mbps 100 msec 2 msec 5 (e.g.: AVN with p = 6, q = 2) RSE 1Mbps 200 msec 5 msec 2 Multimedia execution Results (RSE with p = 5, q= 1) Request 10 Mbps 300 msec 5 msec 2 message of wireless terminals(e.g.: wireless terminals with p = 4, q = 1 to 3)

Here, D_(i,p,q)(t) are delay requirements of each electronic device.Here, T means the current time. t1 means the arrival time of data. Forexample, t1 may be a time at which the TCU receives data related touplink data (eg, an uplink data request message) from the MEC server.Alternatively, t1 may be a time at which the TCU previously receiveduplink data from the electronic device. Alternatively, t1 may be a timeat which the TCU receives downlink data related to uplink data from theMEC server.

The TCU may determine D_(i,p,q)(t)+t1−T or 1/(D_(i,p,q)(t)+t1−T) inTable 3 as the priority of the electronic device. For example, if1/(D_(i,p,q)(t)+t1−T) is determined as the priority of the electronicdevice, the larger the value of 1/(D_(i,p,q)(t)+t1−T), the priority ofelectronic devices is higher. As another example, when D_(i,p,q)(t)+t1−Tis determined as the priority of the electronic device, the smaller thevalue of D_(i,p,q)(t)+t1−T is, the priority of the electronic device ishigher.

The TCU generates Table 3 at a specific time period (eg, time slot), anddata once serviced can be excluded.

In step S1305, the TCU may select Cu_(i*,p*,q*)(t) in priority orderfrom Cu_(i,p,q)(t), and may delete Cu_(i*,p*,q*)(t) from Cu_(i,p,q)(t).

In step S1306, the TCU may allocate a transmission beam corresponding toRu_(i*,a*,b*)(t) that satisfies Ru_(i,a,b)(t)>Cu_(i*,p*,q*)(t) toCu_(i*,p*,q*)(t), and may delete Ru_(i*,a*,b*)(t) from Ru_(i,a,b)(t).For example, the TCU may determine a transmission beam corresponding toan element having the largest data rate among elements of Ru_(i,a,b)(t)whose data rate is greater than Cu_(i,p,q)(t) as a transmission beam ofCu*,p*,q*(t).

In step S1307, the TCU may determine a transmission beam allocated toeach of the one or more electronic devices as the second transmissionbeam. For example, (eg, ECU with p=7, q=5) (eg, AVN with p=6, q=2) (eg,wireless terminals with p=4, q=1 to 3).

FIG. 14 and FIG. 15 show examples in which the TCU, the MEC server, andthe mobile communication network perform downlink communication anduplink communication according to the contents described with referenceto FIGS. 8 to 13.

FIG. 14 shows a first example of downlink communication and uplinkcommunication of a TCU, an MEC server, and a mobile communicationnetwork according to the disclosure of the present specification. FIG.15 shows a second example of downlink communication and uplinkcommunication of a TCU, an MEC server, and a mobile communicationnetwork according to the disclosure of the present specification.

A period of T1+T2 may be the same as a safety message broadcastingperiod of a road side unit (RSU). However, this is only an example, andthe period of T1+T2 may be independent of the safety messagebroadcasting period.

Referring to FIG. 14, downlink communication from the MEC server to theTCU and downlink communication from the TCU to the electronic device maybe performed during the T1 period. In addition, uplink communicationfrom the electronic device to the TCU and uplink communication from theTCU to the MEC server may be performed during the T2 period.

In FIG. 14, the TCU may transmit downlink data to an electronic deviceother than the ECU in downlink #1, and may transmit downlink data to theECU in downlink #2. In addition, the ECU may transmit uplink data to theTCU in uplink #2 first, and an electronic device other than the ECU maytransmit uplink data to the TCU in uplink #1.

Referring to FIG. 15, downlink communication from the MEC server to theTCU and downlink communication from the TCU to the electronic device maybe performed during the T1 period. In addition, uplink communicationfrom the electronic device to the TCU and uplink communication from theTCU to the MEC server may be performed during the T2 period.

In FIG. 15, the TCU may transmit downlink data to electronic devicessuch as RSE 1, RSE 2, AVN, RSE 3, wireless terminals 1 to 4, and ECU. Inaddition, electronic devices such as cameras 1 and 2 lidar sensors 1 and2 radar sensors 1 and 2, wireless terminals 1 and 2, and ECU, etc, maytransmit uplink data to the TCU. In addition, the TCU may preferentiallytransmit uplink data of a specific electronic device, such as cameras 1and 2, lidar sensors 1 and 2, and ECU, etc, to the MEC server, andtransmit uplink data of the remaining electronic devices to the MECserver.

The MEC server transmits a large amount of data in the downlink by usingthe transmission beam of the 5G base station (mmWave), thereby reducingthe length of T1 compared to the conventional method. Accordingly, thelength of T2 can be increased compared to the conventional method.Accordingly, the TCU may transmit camera data and sensor data at a highdata rate during the increased uplink transmission time T2 of the cameradata. Here, camera data can be received from 12 cameras (4 front, 4rear, 2 side (left), and 2 side (right)), and the total data rate of rawdata may be at least 12 Gbps. The sensor data may be received from theone or more lidar sensors and the one or more radar sensors, and a datarate of the raw data of the lidar sensor and the radar sensor may be atleast 10 Gbps, respectively.

According to the content described in the disclosure of thisspecification, the MEC server may transmit data at a data rate higherthan the downlink service request data rate within the available bufferrange of the TCU. Then, the TCU may buffer high-capacity multimediadata, HD-MAP data, etc, and transmit the data to a plurality ofelectronic devices (eg, RSE, AVN, autodriving system computer (ADSC),ECU) connected to the TCU. In addition, the TCU may collect uplink data,an execution result of the electronic device, and a downlink servicerequirement from the electronic devices, and transmit it to the MECserver.

According to the content described in the disclosure of thisspecification, the MEC server may transmit a high-capacity data to theTCU in a short time by transmitting downlink data using a transmissionbeam of a 5G base station (mmWave).

According to the disclosure of the present specification, the MEC servercan increase the uplink transmission time so that the TCU can transmitmore uplink data by reducing the downlink transmission time to the TCU.

Accordingly, the TCU may transmit camera data and sensor data at a highdata rate during the increased uplink transmission time. Here, cameradata can be received from 12 cameras (4 front, 4 rear, 2 side (left),and 2 side (right)), and the total data rate of raw data may be at least12 Gbps. The sensor data may be received from the one or more lidarsensors and the one or more radar sensors, and a data rate of the rawdata of the lidar sensor and the radar sensor may be at least 10 Gbps,respectively.

If camera data and sensor data are transmitted at a higher data rate,more raw data can be transmitted. Then, the MEC server can effectivelyperform object detection based on the camera data and sensor datareceived at a high data rate. The MEC server may transmit control datato the TCU based on the effectively performed object detection result.

The TCU may buffer high-capacity downlink data and transmit the buffereddownlink data to each electronic device according to a delay requirementof each electronic device. In addition, the TCU may transmit a largeamount of camera data and sensor data to the MEC server by securing ahigh uplink data rate (eg, at least 12 Gbps or more).

FIG. 16 is a configuration block diagram of an MEC server and a TCUaccording to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 16, the MEC server 610 and the TCU 100 may include amemory, a processor, and a transceiver, respectively.

The illustrated processor, memory, and transceiver may each beimplemented as separate chips, or at least two or more blocks/functionsmay be implemented through one chip.

The transceiver includes a transmitter and a receiver. When a specificoperation is performed, only one operation of the transmitter and thereceiver may be performed, or both the operation of the transmitter andthe receiver may be performed. The transceiver may include one or moreantennas for transmitting and/or receiving radio signals. In addition,the transceiver may include an amplifier for amplifying a receivedsignal and/or a transmission signal and a bandpass filter fortransmitting on a specific frequency band.

As described above, the transceiver of the TCU includes a first 5Gtransceiver (ie, a modem/antenna using sub 6 GHz), a second 5Gtransceiver (ie, a modem/antenna using mmWave), an LTE transceiver (ie,modem/antenna using LTE).

The processor may implement the functions, processes and/or methodsproposed in this specification. The processor may include an encoder anda decoder. For example, the processor may perform an operation accordingto the above description. Such processors may includeapplication-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), other chipsets, logiccircuits, data processing devices, and/or converters that convertbetween baseband signals and radio signals.

Memory may include read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM),flash memory, memory cards, storage media, and/or other storage devices.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram illustrating in detail the configuration of aTCU according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The illustrated TCU 100 includes a transceiver 110, a processor 120, amemory 130, one or more antennas, and a subscriber identification module(SIM) card.

The illustrated TCU 100 may further include a speaker 161 and amicrophone 162 as necessary.

The illustrated TCU 100 may further include a display 151 and an inputunit 152 as necessary.

The processor 120 may be configured to implement the proposed functions,procedures and/or methods described herein. The layers of the radiointerface protocol may be implemented in the processor 120. Theprocessor 120 may include an application-specific integrated circuit(ASIC), other chipsets, logic circuits, and/or data processing devices.The processor 102 may be an application processor (AP). The processor120 may include at least one of a digital signal processor (DSP), acentral processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), and amodem (modulator and demodulator). Examples of processor 120 may beSNAPDRAGON™ series processors manufactured by Qualcomm®, EXYNOS™ seriesprocessors manufactured by Samsung®, A series processors manufactured byApple®, HELIO™ series processors manufactured by MediaTek®, INTEL® Itmay be an ATOM™ series processor manufactured by the company or acorresponding next-generation processor.

The display 151 outputs the result processed by the processor 120. Inputunit 152 receives input to be used by processor 120. The input unit 152may be displayed on the display 151. A SIM card is an integrated circuitused to securely store an international mobile subscriber identity(IMSI) and its associated keys used to identify and authenticatesubscribers in mobile phone devices such as mobile phones and computers.The SIM card may not be physically implemented, but may be implementedas a computer program and stored in the memory.

The memory 130 is operatively coupled to the processor 120 and storesvarious information for operating the processor 120. Memory 130 mayinclude read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), flashmemory, memory cards, storage media, and/or other storage devices. Whenthe embodiment is implemented in software, the techniques described inthis specification may be implemented in modules (eg, procedures,functions, etc.) that perform the functions described in thisspecification. Modules may be stored in memory 130 and executed byprocessor 120. The memory 130 may be implemented inside the processor120. Alternatively, the memory 130 may be implemented outside theprocessor 120, and may be communicatively connected to the processor 120through various means known in the art.

The transceiver 110 is operatively coupled to the processor 120 andtransmits and/or receives a radio signal. The transceiver 110 includes atransmitter and a receiver. The transceiver 110 may include a basebandcircuit for processing a radio frequency signal. The transceivercontrols one or more antennas to transmit and/or receive radio signals.

The speaker 161 outputs sound related results processed by the processor120. Microphone 162 receives sound related input to be used by processor120.

In the above, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have beenexemplarily described, but the scope of the present disclosure is notlimited only to such specific embodiments, and thus the presentdisclosure may be modified, changed, or improved in various forms withinthe spirit of the present disclosure and the scope described in theclaims.

In the exemplary system described above, the methods are described onthe basis of a flowchart as a series of steps or blocks, but the presentdisclosure is not limited to the order of steps, and some steps mayoccur in a different order or concurrently with other steps as describedabove. In addition, those skilled in the art will understand that thesteps shown in the flowchart are not exhaustive and that other steps maybe included or that one or more steps in the flowchart may be deletedwithout affecting the scope of the present disclosure.

The claims described herein may be combined in various ways. Forexample, the technical features of the method claims of the presentspecification may be combined and implemented as an apparatus, and thetechnical features of the apparatus claims of the present specificationmay be combined and implemented as a method. In addition, the technicalfeatures of the method claim of the present specification and thetechnical features of the apparatus claim may be combined to beimplemented as an apparatus, and the technical features of the methodclaim of the present specification and the technical features of theapparatus claim may be combined and implemented as a method.

1. A server for controlling a TCU (Telematics Communication Unit)mounted on a vehicle in the next-generation mobile communication system,a transceiver; and a processor for controlling the transceiver, whereinthe processor is configured to perform operations comprising:determining a available data rate for a combination of a plurality oftransmission beams of the base station and a plurality of receptionsbeams of the TCU, based on channel state information for a radio channelbetween the TCU and the base station; receiving information on theavailable buffer size of the TCU and information on downlink servicerequirements of one or more electronic devices in the vehicle from theTCU through the base station; determining a data rate of downlink dataand a first transmission beam of the base station, based on informationon the available buffer size of the TCU, information on downlink servicerequirements for the one or more electronic devices, and the availabledata rate; and transmitting the downlink data to the TCU through thebase station, based on the determined data rate and the firsttransmission beam, wherein the information on the available buffer sizeof the TCU includes information on an available buffer size of thememory of the TCU and information on an available buffer size of atleast one transceiver of the TCU, and wherein the information on theavailable buffer size of the TCU used in the process of determining thedata rate and the first transmission beam is the smaller buffer sizebetween the available buffer size of the memory of the TCU and theavailable buffer size of the at least one transceiver of the TCU. 2-3.(canceled)
 4. The server of claim 1, wherein the information on thedownlink service requirements includes information about data raterequirements and information about delay requirements.
 5. The server ofclaim 1, wherein the data rate of the downlink data is determined as avalue obtained by multiplying the first data rate required by theinformation on the downlink service requirement by N.
 6. The server ofclaim 5, wherein N is, the N*the first data rate<the available buffersize of the TCU, the maximum value among N values satisfying theinequality.
 7. The server of claim 1, the processor is further configureto perform: receiving the channel state information from the TCU throughthe base station.
 8. The server of claim 1, wherein the base stationincludes a long term evolution (LTE) transceiver, a 5G transceiver, anda WiFi transceiver.
 9. A TCU (Telematics Communication Unit) mounted ona vehicle, a memory; at least one transceiver; and a processor forcontrolling the memory and the at least one transceiver, wherein theprocessor is configured to perform operations comprising: determining anavailable data rate for a combination of a plurality of reception beamsof the base station and a plurality of transmission beams of each of theat least one transceiver, based on channel state information for a radiochannel between the TCU and the base station process; determining afirst transmission beam of the at least one transceiver based on theinformation on the available buffer size of the TCU, information onuplink service requirements of one or more electronic devices in thevehicle, and the available data rate, wherein the information on theuplink service requirements includes information about data raterequirements and information about delay requirements; after receivingthe uplink data from the one or more electronic devices, transmittingthe uplink data to the server through the base station based on thefirst transmission beam; and determining the priority of the firstuplink data and the second uplink data based on the information on thedelay requirements, wherein the one or more electronic devices include afirst electronic device and a second electronic device, and wherein theuplink data includes first uplink data of the first electronic deviceand second uplink data of the second electronic device.
 10. The TCU ofclaim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to perform:transmitting information on an available buffer size of the TCU andinformation on a downlink service requirement of the one or moreelectronic devices to a server through the base station.
 11. The TCU ofclaim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to perform:receiving downlink data from the server through the base station; andtransmitting the received downlink data to the one or more electronicdevices.
 12. The TCU of claim 9, wherein the information on theavailable buffer size of the TCU includes information on the availablebuffer size of the memory and information on the available buffer sizeof the at least one transceiver. 13-14. (canceled)
 15. The TCU of claim14, wherein the first transmission beam for each of the first uplinkdata and the second uplink data is determined in the order of thedetermined priority.
 16. The TCU of claim 9, wherein the processor isfurther configured to perform: receiving the channel state informationfrom the base station.
 17. The method of claim 9, wherein the at leastone transceiver includes a long term evolution (LTE) transceiver, a 5Gtransceiver, and a WiFi transceiver.